Outdated rulebooks and overstocks are often clearance priced at cons, which the frugal spender can appreciate till his backpack is painfully overloaded. For the shockingly low price of 5 dollars each, I bought Zeitgeist Games' printing of Dave Arneson's BlackMoor, and Paizo's edition of Dragon Magazine artwork. The former details a d20 version of BlackMoor, and includes a very nice 16x20" hex map poster. The geography in my opinion is the perfect size for a detailed level 1~9 campaign. RPG developers that feel the need to present vast continents should consider dedicating single books (or Mystara-style Gazettes) to zones no larger than BlackMoor.

The Paizo book from 2006 includes dozens of color plates from Dragon, predominantly featuring stars like Larry Elmore and Wayne Reynolds. My favorite painting from the book is by Denis Beauvais.

Outside of the convention I found a book that makes my posts on castles rather moot. At Half-Price Books, I purchased a hardback by Christopher Gravett overflowing with castle pictures and blueprints for only $10! Almost every page describes a fortification, with mapped art that would be very easy to import into a game. Essentially, this is the book I'd make if a publisher requested one (minus monster tables and plot hooks).